MHI Blog—As technologies like autonomous vehicles and drones continues to advance, some developers are finding success in combining technologies and using them in shipping rather than for general consumption.

Reuters—U.S. factory activity increased for a second straight month in October amid a pickup in production and hiring, supporting views that the embattled manufacturing sector would regain some momentum in the fourth quarter.

Modern Materials Handling—Materials handling professionals embrace the challenges of technological progress, daily troubleshooting and the ongoing overhaul of the entire supply chain; and they are well compensated for their efforts.

EBN—The Internet of Things (IoT) is a simple term for a complex concept. It is the connection of all devices to the Internet and each other, enabling them to exchange data over a network without any human intervention. But why does that matter? And why is it relevant to transport optimization?

Forbes—Globalization is on the ropes. Both US presidential candidates now oppose the Trans-Pacific Partnership. Britain has just voted itself out of the European Union. The tiny Belgian region of Wallonia nearly killed a deal between the EU and Canada. Global trade volumes are down for the first half of 2016 and for the first time since World War II, international trade with the United States has fallen during a period of GDP growth.

Transport Topics—A.P. Moller-Maersk A/S, the owner of the world’s biggest container shipping line, saw its shares fall Nov. 9 as the outcome of the U.S. presidential election fanned concern there will be a shift toward policies that are hostile toward global trade.

Material Handling & Logistics—The prospect of the Surface Transportation Board adopting its proposed reciprocal switching rule for railroads became a bit murkier after parcel delivery giant UPS came out in opposition to it.

Specifically, UPS told the STB it would shift shipments away from the railroads and onto highways if rail service declines. "Ultimately, if rail intermodal service levels fall below UPS’ time-in-transit obligation standards, we would have no business option but to shift intermodal traffic back to the highway," UPS said in comments on the proceeding.

Industry Week—Digital disruption is changing markets everywhere, and a highly efficient supply chain is only half of the story. Today's digital customers, in both B2C and B2B environments, want experiences as unique as they are, delivered "on demand"—and at hyperspeed. That makes a super-flexible supply chain as critical as a super-efficient one and digital capabilities have a critical role to play.

Bloomberg Business—Amazon.com was sued by Illinois delivery drivers who say the company failed to pay them overtime for hauling its goods. Among the questions the judge will have to answer? Whether they actually worked for Amazon.

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MHI Blog—Recently, we wrote about our trip to the Rock Hill ATC, which you can read about here, but we learned so much that it didn’t all fit in one blog post. The ATC partners with outside companies to give students real material handling experience and provide service to these community organizations.

EBN—Mexico has undoubtedly risen to become a strong force in the manufacturing world, home to hundreds of manufacturing plants, some of which are the largest suppliers in the world. Cities including Tijuana have expanded in the electronics space in particular. The automotive and aerospace industries have also exploded in Mexico, resulting in a drastic increase in manufacturing plants from Mexicali down to Puebla.

MHI’s new Career Forum enables manufacturing and supply chain professionals to view current job postings of MHI member companies. Go to http://www.mhi.org/careers to find the perfect opportunity for you.

21st Century Supply Chain—There’s something to be said about the resiliency of a really good supply chain. One that’s able to quickly respond to those unexpected problems, easily adapt to changing industry conditions and make waves with its innovative, yet still efficient, processes. It’s like a piece of moving artwork – all those intricacies and people working behind the scenes to deliver exactly what the masses of the world want, when and where they want it.